Sunday, July 26, 2009

One Year: Check

pretty sunflower farm
picture it took me forever to put up. my dad sent me the paper from home and i had the kids a pic with it. they were stoked.

my 6th grade class that i teach health and english too


clinic day (really its when the mama's bring their babies to get weighed) in the village



HIV testing day in the village!




My apologies to all my faithful blog followers (all four of you) its been awhile since I’ve updated on life and times here in TZ. I also haven’t been able to check my mail in over a month so if someone’s waiting on a snail mail response…sorry. I’ll get to it I promise. One of the reasons I fell so behind is that I had a visitors!!! The whole family!! Mom, Dad, Jess, Jeff, and Amy. It was a bit surreal to have them all hear traveling the bumpy roads and sleeping under mosquito nets with me; a bit like worlds colliding (in a good way J). We had a great time. Mom and Dad and Jess came for two weeks and Amy and Jeff joined us a week into the fun. We visited northern Tanzania to see the animals in the national parks and to visit the Momela lodge which you can see yourself anytime you please by just popping in a copy of John Wayne’s “Hatari” filmed at the lodge in the early 1960’s. Needless to say this was one of its selling points for all of us (but lets be honest, mostly for Dad… he was pretty excited to walk in the steps of the “Duke”) We went on walking and driving tours, were not ten yards from giraffes, zebras, and warthogs, saw a lake painted pink with flamingos in the early morning, and got to see all kinds of species of baboons and chimps escorting their babies around on their backs. After Amy and Jeff joined us we headed out my village for a few days and after a ride that renewed all of our relationships with God, we arrived safely (only by His grace) to warm welcome. We visited church, the schools, and the health center and they were able to see a little bit of what I do everyday and the wonderful people I work and live with. The way they welcomed my family as their own reminded me how lucky I am to live with such a warm and kind people. The trip was concluded with a few days at the beautiful beaches of Dar es Salaam where we snorkeled and explored and had the kinks worked out of our backs. The whole trip was awesome and reminded me how much I love and miss my family (not that I forgot) and how lucky I am to have all the support they give me.
Also since I last updated I celebrated my one year anniversary in Tanzania. It has undoubtedly (just like everything else) flown by. It has been hard, and will continue to be so, I suspect. I often question the value of my time spent here but ultimately I feel that I have been productive in the last year and think I still have a lot left that I can do and offer during my year of service that remains. The well project is still in motion, and I’ve just recently had a grant approved and received funding to sponsor a series of 5 HIV awareness days in my and surrounding villages. We’ll have food, dancing, a soccer game, HIV testing, educational speakers… the works. I’ve really excited. They should start next month. I’ll keep you updated on how they turn out. My newest (or oldest, since I’ve really been working on this since the first day I was placed in my village) is selecting village members and training them as home based care workers to provide basic and vital care to people living with AIDS and all sick persons in the village. This is especially important where I live since there are no local health facility and because there is no transport outside of bikes and walking it is virtually impossible for very sick people, the ones that need it the most, to receive health care. Training home based care workers would give these people a chance. I’m working closely with the district government to find the ways and means to have 5 -7 people trained from my village by the end of my term of service next summer. Its proved a difficult endeavor so far since Tanzanian government and agencies are not typically known for their efficiency and speedy nature so I could use your good thoughts and prayers.
Also I wanted to give a little shout out to Crestview Preparatory School in La Canada, CA. Udumuka Primary school got your letters and couldn’t be more excited. You’ll get responses just as soon as school starts up again in the fall.
Thanks to everyone for the incredible support I continue to get. I love you guys!